tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093005962447180669.post1161435297782922118..comments2023-04-02T05:06:48.224-07:00Comments on Current Controversies in Stem Cell Research: Stem Cell Trial to Test Promise of Stem Cell ResearchJay Thakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05875071987205016198noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093005962447180669.post-37642857822222065722009-04-15T06:45:00.000-07:002009-04-15T06:45:00.000-07:00I agree with Courtney on this issue. We have to s...I agree with Courtney on this issue. We have to start someplace. Also, if you look at the article that Guac posted about the little boy it seems that the Russian doctors did not really know what they were doing or getting themselves into. The article states that what the doctors were trying to achieve was unclear. Thus, I would be lead to believe that the doctors didn't really have enough information on stem cells to be injecting them into the child's brain. We have done so much research regarding stem cells that it would be different here in the US which could result in a different outcome, possibly without the tumor.Kelli Galonskahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16818845502890117369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093005962447180669.post-28530091143850020972009-04-15T05:45:00.000-07:002009-04-15T05:45:00.000-07:00Guac,
While I understand the concern, I think ...Guac, <br /> While I understand the concern, I think the fact that it is a clinical trial, accounts for the fact that there is some risk associated with participating. Personally, I don't think I would participate in a study such as this where there is little known about the dangers and complications involved, but then again I have never been in a wheel chair.Courtney Sharphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18123269310486009714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093005962447180669.post-80365085692050309792009-04-14T18:52:00.000-07:002009-04-14T18:52:00.000-07:00This sounds like a very exciting breakthrough to a...This sounds like a very exciting breakthrough to actually be able to start trials on people. If all goes well, and people with the spinal injuries see improvement from before to after being treated with the stem cells from embryos, then this would probably increase the validity of using embryos to improve those who are already living with injuries. It’s good to hear that the scientists are full of optimism, but what if something does go wrong? What if there was the case of tumors emerging? I hope that this trial goes well (I read it begins sometime this summer) and that it doesn’t turn into an issue of does the benefits outweigh the risks scenario. <br />I also agree that the people who are suffering with such injuries or disease’s should not be discounted and agree that the potential to help them with research and trial outweighs the fact of believing that embryos are persons that should not be destroyed to use their stem cells in research that could be promising.Larissa Chakarovahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13180464089396180175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093005962447180669.post-50096605601750534362009-04-14T14:16:00.000-07:002009-04-14T14:16:00.000-07:00I would be very skeptical about the potential bene...I would be very skeptical about the potential benefits of treating spinal cord injuries as well as the treatment altogether. From a more recent article, scientists were unsure of how to use stem cells in treatments. This would lead me to believe that more research needs to be done before injecting innocent patients with stem cells that have the potential to cause tumors. From the same article, a boy from Israel was diagnosed with ataxia-telangectiasia which has no treatment and minimal survival rate past the late teen years. The boy was injected with fetal stem cells in his brain which led to two infections in 2002 and 2004. Finally in 2005 a brain tumor was identified. <br /> With this information, I find it very disturbing that a scientist would disregard that information and possibly inject stem cells into another human being so soon because "there is simply not enough evidence from animal studies".<br /><br />http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=embryonic-stem-cells-cause-cancer-i-2009-02-19guacamole344https://www.blogger.com/profile/17061111723553222119noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093005962447180669.post-76398140156858132792009-04-07T14:04:00.000-07:002009-04-07T14:04:00.000-07:00Yeah, I agree. It's kind of like what we talked a...Yeah, I agree. It's kind of like what we talked about in class the other day, with Rawls' original position. If we were to make decisions about it without knowing who we were or whether or not we would benefit from the treatment/research, it would end up being a fair decision. Although it basically impossible to happen, it seems to me that the original position would clear up a lot of ethical debates!Courtney Sharphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18123269310486009714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093005962447180669.post-71622472787666050572009-04-03T20:14:00.000-07:002009-04-03T20:14:00.000-07:00I think you bring an interesting point. As your f...I think you bring an interesting point. As your friend suggests, those who may not be directly influenced by the research may not necessarily be in a position to choose for those who are able to benefit from it. While some argue that using an embryo for embryonic stem cell research is preventing a potential life, I can see the same argument being made when it comes to preventing the death of a life by using embryonic stem cells. In my opinion, its difficult to make this argument without contradicting yourself.Elena Gueorguievhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13682795648819475748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8093005962447180669.post-90711097250663305052009-04-03T20:13:00.000-07:002009-04-03T20:13:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Elena Gueorguievhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13682795648819475748noreply@blogger.com